


Fire and Water Must Have Made You

by Cassidy_OMalley



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, AtLA AU, I was appalled by the lack of this AU, LoK AU, M/M, so i did something about it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 11:08:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15728175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cassidy_OMalley/pseuds/Cassidy_OMalley
Summary: With everything that was going on in the world—the attack of the Fire Nation, the genocide of the Air Nomads, the Avatar’s disappearance and his subsequent return—it’s no wonder that the goingson of some little nondescript Earth Kingdom island got overlooked when the history books were being filled out. After all, why should it matter? Iwatobi was never involved in any grand battle, never housed a Fire Nation colony, never even (as far as any historian could tell) produced soldiers to fight. It was just a small fishing island which simply happened to exist at the same point in time when the rest of the world was thrown into chaos.But unbeknownst to the majority of the rest of the world, there was something that happened on Iwatobi, something that the residents would always remember. Something bigger than the coming together of nations.And that something was the greatest love story ever told.





	Fire and Water Must Have Made You

_The following document is an excerpt from_

_Kyabetus, Otoko. **The Best Sight: The Secret History and Creation of The Pro-Bending League.** Republic City, RC Publishing. _

 

_With everything that was going on in the world—the attack of the Fire Nation, the genocide of the Air Nomads, the Avatar’s disappearance and his subsequent return—it’s no wonder that the goingson of some little nondescript Earth Kingdom island got overlooked when the history books were being filled out. After all, why should it matter? Iwatobi was never involved in any grand battle, never housed a Fire Nation colony, never even (as far as any historian could tell) produced soldiers to fight. It was just a small fishing island which simply happened to exist at the same point in time when the rest of the world was thrown into chaos. What many people do not know is that Iwatobi is actually the birthplace for the Pro-bending League._  
  


_Yes, yes, the creation of the league is credited to Republic City’s own Raita Dante and Ryu Ki Hyun; but were it not for a group of five teenagers on Iwatobi and the story of how they took it upon themselves―recklessly, idealistically―to stand together in the face of adversity, than this author believes that the league would never have come to be. Now, the author is aware of the absurdity of this theory and would like to take the remainder of this book to produce proof. So for the first piece of evidence, the author would like to present a copy of a letter written by an Iwatobian native to Ryu Ki Hyun’s grandfather, sent near the time of the Avatar’s return. It tells the story of a fated meeting which would change the lives of all those involved. Not because it’s tells a story or war, or redemption, or even a story about the importance of crossing the barriers between the nations; although the story does include all of those things._

_The story, as you will see as you read is―above anything and everything else―a love story._

_~**~**~_

_...[greetings, closings and standard small talk have been removed from the letter for the sake of space]..._

 

If you’d told my child self that I would come to count a Fire Nation soldier as one of the best men I’d ever know, I would have laughed in your face.  
  


If you’d told my adolescent self that the best healer I would ever meet would be a frustrating bundle of reservation and natural talent, I would have groaned at the injustice of the world.  
  


And if you’d told my young adult self that the one of the great love stories would not only play out in my small port town but exist between a fire-bender and a water-bender, I’d have passed out from shock.

But that was then. Now I’m older, wiser, and understand that life is strange.

           But I suppose I better start from the the beginning. And for this story, I believe it all started the day after I had been elected as the town’s resident doctor. For a twenty-two year old, I guess that should have been overwhelming but Iwatobi was and is a small, insignificant port town on the far edge of the Earth Kingdom. It resides on an island that is far enough away from the Earth Capital and so far out of the way of the Fire Nation that I think most people forget it exists; a fact I know suits most residents just fine. It’s not that we are completely defenseless, mind. We have a band of law keepers and a defense militia made up of talented benders and a small swordsmanship circuit. But trained soldiers? That we are not.  
  


So you can imagine my surprise that day when I went down to the beach and saw a ship flying a Fire Nation flag anchored just off the coast.  
  


             Well, I say ship but perhaps it is better called a well endowed boat? It was _small_. Too small for any serious weaponry. Too small for even a real crew. Less war machine and more expensive fishing vessel. Maybe the captain simply needed a rest and just happened to anchor in that particular spot? In any case, as it didn’t seem to be causing an immediate threat, I decided to investigate a little.  
  


            As I near the shore I can see four figures, one adult sized and three child sized. The adult figure and the smallest child figure are sitting at the water’s edge while the other two are swimming just off the shore. As I’ve mentioned, Iwatobi is a small town where even if you don’t remember everyone’s name you’ll recognize immediately if someone is not from the area. So even if the man sitting there _hadn’t_ had a Fire Nation tunic draped around his shoulders I would have known immediately that he wasn’t from the village.  
  


“I won that time! I must have. Right, _Otou-chan_? I did, didn’t I?” One of the children shouts over the surf. I glance back towards the water but all I can tell about the two little figures is that one has black hair and the one with the strong vocal cords has red hair; the same magenta red as the little girl sitting beside the man on the shore.  
  


“It was close, Rin, _really_ close but I think Nanase still won!” The man calls back.  
  


    _Nanase._  
  


              Like I said, I’ll never be able to remember everyone’s name in Iwatobi but I would be remiss if I didn’t know the name of our sole water-bender. Nanase Haruka is the son of a young Southern Water Tribe couple who stopped by on their way to the Northern Water Tribe seven years ago. I still don’t understand the reasoning behind it, but for some reason the couple decided that it would be best to leave their five year old son with the Tachibana family while they completed the journey alone. As I hear it, the plan was to pick up their son on the return journey but as of yet the couple have yet to leave their northern tribe. Also as I hear it, no one is terribly upset by this.  
  


“But I’m getting closer! Come on, Nanase, again! I’ll definitely beat you this time!” The child Rin shouts as he (I think it’s a he) swims towards a rock which must act as a starting position.  


“He does know Haruka’s a water-bender, doesn’t he?” I’ve made my way to stand next to the man and I can’t help but ask.  
  


The easy way the man lifts his head to look at me lets me know he knew I was there long before I said anything. He has wavey brown hair and when he grins up at me I see teeth so sharp I want to ask if they are natural. “Sure he knows! Why do you think he wants to race him so much?”  
  


“And Haruka’s actually doing it? How did he convince him to do that?” I’ve learned from personal experience that trying to convince Haruka to do something he doesn’t want is like trying to get water out of a damn stone.  
  


“When Rin wants something, he doesn’t stop until he gets it.” The man says fondly. “I always said he took after his mother but his _obaa-san_ swears he got that little trait from me.”  
  


               I am a nosy person by nature, occupational hazard of growing up in a small town, and as this would probably be the only time I could talk to a Fire Nation soldier without some kind of catastrophe going on I decide to do just that. So I sit down, introduce myself and start the standard expected small talk about the village and the fishing in the area—it’s Iwatobi’s one selling point really—but strangely, the man actually looks _interested._ He asks things like where the best spots are, if any of the locals would sell him equipment, what bait to use. Things like that. Somewhere between my mostly unhelpful answers, I buy fish not catch them, and his follow up questions he remembers that he hasn’t introduced himself.

And that is how I became _properly_ introduced to Matsuoka Toraichi, Fire Nation soldier and member of the Panther Shark Regiment.

               I’ve never heard of that particular regiment so he explains that it is newly formed, meant to focus on scouting, expansion, and nautical prowess. He then goes on to say, without any prompting from me mind you, that he never wanted to be a soldier but had been drafted for being one of the most respected sailors in the Fire Nation Capital. I mentioned something about that not being fair but Toraichi had just waved me off saying it wasn’t all bad. The military had equipped him with one of their fastest vessels after all and enough supplies to allow him to secretly smuggle his two children on board to share the journey with him. I must have made a face at this point, probably internally questioning the children’s safety, because suddenly he laughs.  
  


“I guess I’m selfish.” He shrugs, reaching over to stroke his daughter’s hair. “Their _obaa-san_ offered to look after them for me but since Miyako’s passing, Rin and Gou are my whole world and leaving them behind for months just didn’t work for me.”  
  


                Some time later, when Gou has wandered off to collect seashells, Toraichi elaborates a bit more, showing me a pocket-sized portrait of a beautiful woman with a soft smile and red magenta hair. She had died giving birth to Gou it seems, leaving the newly appointed Toraichi alone with a two-year-old son and infant daughter. It wasn’t always easy, he admits but he adores his children and would do anything for them. Including, he mentions softly, smuggling Rin away from the watching eyes of the capital. See, Toraichi was a bender, not a master but a talented one nonetheless, and had passed his gift to his son. And that would have been fine, the Fire Nation gave birth to benders everyday but...even at twelve years old it was obvious Rin wasn’t destined to be just any bender. While maybe not a pure, ever-expounding talent like Haruka, Rin was born with the skills, the passion and the determination that would one day turn him into a master to rival the very best.  


And with Fire Lord Ozai freshly ascended to the throne, the Fire Nation Military Academy was suddenly on the prowl for talented children.  


               It was only when the sky began to change color that I realized that I wasn’t ready to part with this odd little family. So, I asked if Toraichi and his children would like to stay in the inn instead of returning to his boat (as it was meant to be crewed by one, he assured me it was indeed called a boat). I assured him that the Tachibana family who ran it were all exceptionally kind and wouldn’t care what flag they flew as long as they treated people with respect. The man agreed immediately and his two children seemed delighted at the prospect; Gou whispered in my ear that she was excited to be on land for the first time in a month while Rin cheers loudly about more time with his new friend (Haruka glares at the other boy but says nothing).  
  


               Now as anyone who grew up in a small town will attest, if change comes it comes slowly and only with world ending events. And while the addition of a Fire Nation family was surprising, as it in no way affected the daily lives of the general population, most simply accepted their presence and moved on. Looking back now though, it is a little surprising how easily the Tachibana family welcomed Toraichi and his children with smiles and open arms. Or how quickly their son Makoto welcomed Rin and Gou into the friendship he shared with Haruka. Or even how quickly the group of four little ankle biters become a group of five when Gou caught one Hazuki Nagisa trying to pinch a cookie from the inn kitchen.  


               It was about five months into their stay that Toraichi received a disciplinary letter via messenger hawk to reprimand him for being behind schedule ( _very_ behind Toraichi had admitted with a wink). I was one of the people on the beach to see them off, along with our spiritual leader Amakata Miho, Haruka, Nagisa, and the whole of the Tachibana family. Amakata-sama and I shook hands with Toraichi who promised to visit again as soon as possible and his two children (both of whom were sniffling) were hugged tightly by all the adults in turn.   
  


               Poor little Nagisa was crying outright. He was an energetic boy who tended to use his earth bending to craft figures and toys in lieu of practical things and was often considered too loud by many of his peers. But with those four he’d been accepted, liked, encouraged. It was no wonder he was sad to lose two of them. Gou hugged him and tried to soothe the tears while Rin promised to write when they could. Makoto, as solid and as reliable as the earth he manipulated, promised that he would look after the younger boy and would pray for his friends swift and safe return. The redheads had smiled at this, knowing that Makoto would never make a promise he had no intention of keeping. Haruka simply stood there next to Makoto, not saying a word, not looking at anyone in particular, just...standing. Haruka had always been the physical embodiment of _calm waters._ Nothing affected him: not being left (abandoned) by his parents, not being the only water-bender on an Earth Nation island, not having only one friend even after seven years.

Nothing.

Until Matsuoka Rin.

           As Toraichi had said, once Rin set his mind to something he didn’t let go and since arriving on the island the boy had set his mind on two things. One, to beat Haruka in a swimming race (as yet unsuccessful). And two, to form a team made of benders from every nation. He was still working on the details on what the team would do once formed but he thought that seeing a team made up of the every existing nation would show people that cooperation _was_ possible. It was a romantic, idealistic notion but no adult had the heart to discourage him. When he’d brought the idea up to Makoto and Nagisa, they’d both been thrilled. Haruka...less so. _Team_ meant other people, it meant socializing. It meant _effort._ It meant being relying on and relying on others. And if there was one thing Haruka hated above all others, it was being _needed.  
_

         But despite all that, during those five months if Haruka wasn’t in school or floating in the ocean he could be found on the shore with Makoto, Nagisa, and Rin practicing his bending. Now, I’m not a bender so I don’t really know how a typical bending practice is suppose to look but I remember dropping by to covertly watch a few of these sessions and I was fascinated by what I saw there. Sometimes the four little benders would form a circle and practice bending their respective elements around each other, almost like they were trying to blend everything together. Or sometimes they would form a line and practice combination attacks on piles of sticks and seaweed. The way the three elements flowed together, complimented each other, shaped each other, like they were all part of a whole. It was...beautiful. And now Rin was leaving. I couldn’t help but wonder what was going through Haruka’s head.  


“Hey, don’t make that face.” Rin simultaneously laughed and “scratched” his eyes as he approached the water-bender. “I’ll be back, just you wait. And when I do, I’ll definitely beat you in a race! And maybe next time we’ll be able to make our ‘water cannon’ combo move work right!”  


“Why do you have to give them such stupid names?” Haruka grumbled.  


“It’s not stupid, it’s hot! Plus, I don’t see you coming up with anything better.” Rin shoots back.  


“Too much effort.”  


“Ugh! How ‘bout this. How about you come up with a name you like and the next time I visit we take a vote on whose name is better?” Rin suggests.  


“You’re such a pain.” Haruka sighs but now he’s looking back at Rin through his eyelashes. “I’ll have a better name than yours by the end of the day anyway.”  


“Eh!? You’re on, Haru! Next time for sure. You better bring me everything you got!” Rin grins and he’s flame and passion and everything I wish the Fire Nation could be.  


“Next time, Rin.” Haruka agrees and he’s the unfathomable sea and untouchable moonlight and waters that are no longer as calm as they once were.

~**~**~

_This is where the letter ends._

_The remainder of the story will be laid out in a narrative format following Nanase Haruka and has been put together with information gained from a variety of sources, including but not limited to: first-hand accounts of those who were present during the events, the completed diary of Amakata Miho, and the few remaining paintings by Nanase himself._

_There are some discrepancies between the sources of course, and the author does not claim perfect adherence to facts but there are two things all the sources agree on._

_One, that the story does not pick up again for four years._

_And two, that six months after that day on the beach Matsuoka Toraichi was executed by his own regiment._

**Author's Note:**

> Put the author's name in Google translate, I dare you (<\--thinks she's hilarious). 
> 
> Also, I pulled up Owl Purdue for the first time since undergrad writing this to make sure I got the citation right. 
> 
> So, as I said I was criminally shocked by the lack of ATLA AU's here because all our boys just lend themselves to it so perfectly. So I've been toying with this for probably a couple months and finally decided to sit down and get it organized here. So please enjoy and comment. 
> 
> Just to be clear, everything else will be told in third person format and pick up 4 years later.


End file.
